Rapid Eye Movement (REM)
Overview
Rapid eye movement (sleep disorder) is a sleep disorder in which you act out vivid, often unpleasant dreams during sleep with vocal sounds and sudden, violent movements of your arms and legs.
A normal stage of sleep that repeatedly occurs during the night is REM sleep, during which you usually do not move. You dream primarily during the second half of your sleep, when about 20 percent of your sleep is spent in REM sleep.
Symptoms
Episodes may occur occasionally or several times each night, and the onset may be gradual or sudden. The disorder often worsens with time.
This sleep behavior disorder can cause the following symptoms:
- Kicking, punching, flailing arms or jumping from bed are all examples of movement.
- Talking, laughing, shouting, crying, or cursing are some examples of noises
- Having the ability to recall the dream if you awaken during it
The details of your dream will probably come back to you after waking up. They will match the behaviors you exhibited while sleeping. You might jump out of bed if you dream that someone is chasing you.
Complications
It may cause the following complications:
- Distress to your sleeping partner or other family members
- Fear of social isolation due to sleep disruptions
- Self-injury
Diagnosis
For the diagnosis of sleep behavior disorder, your doctor reviews your medical history and your symptoms. The evaluation at REM sleep center may include:
- Monitoring your sleep patterns
- An overnight sleep study
- If there are any other disorders affecting your sleep.
Causes
Rapid eye movement sleep is associated with dreams . Every night, it lasts for about 90 minutes to two hours.
During normal or dreaming sleep, nerve pathways in the brain that prevent muscles from moving are activated, resulting in temporary paralysis. You may act out your dreams physically if you have this disorder.
The muscles aren’t temporarily paralyzed as they should be in RBD. In this way, your body is able to respond to your dreams. Small movements, such as talking and twitching, may be followed by larger ones, such as jumping and kicking.
Risk factors
This sleep condition is associated with the following factors:
- Being male and over 50 years old
- Having a certain type of neurodegenerative disorder
- Having narcolepsy
- Taking certain medications
REM sleep disorder treatment
REM sleep disorder treatment may include physical safeguards and medications.
Physical safeguards
Some physical safety measures include:
- Placing a mattress near the bed
- Keeping sharp objects and weapons out of the bedroom
- Keeping furniture and clutter away from the bed
- Window protection
